MELT PELLETIZATION IN A HIGH-SHEAR MIXER .7. EFFECTS OF PRODUCT TEMPERATURE

Lactose monohydrate, anhydrous lactose and anhydrous dicalcium phospha te were melt pelletized in an 8-1 high shear mixer using polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 or 6000 as meltable binder. The temperature of the h eating jacket was varied at two levels giving rise to different produc t temperatures. The agglomerate growth was affected by the product tem perature because a higher temperature caused a lower binder viscosity, a thermal expansion of the binder liquid and more evaporation of wate r of crystallization. The possibility of controlling the process and t he quality of the resulting pellets were found to depend on the physic al properties of the materials.